Meet the Baron

For years, Hollywood has been turning TV stars and their shows into movies -- a trend that began back in the days of radio. A good illustration is "Meet the Baron" starring Jack Pearl in his popular persona as an habitual liar with a mittel European accent and an endless supply of puns. Providing him with comic support are a young Jimmy Durante as his manager, a man who never met a malaprop he couldn't mangle, and Zasu Pitts as his daffy love interest. When things slow down, a chorus line of MGM starlets, masquerading as college co-eds, perform a mildly risqué musical number in the shower. And for those who wonder how Moe, Curly and Larry started out, they appear (playing hapless janitors) as Ted Healy and his 3 Stooges. Sure, it's a curiosity piece and a not a very good movie. But oddly enough, it's a lot of fun.

I confess. The "Clean as a Whistle" number made me purchase the DVD. I wish that number was a bit longer. The choral blending drives home the art deco musical styles of the 1930's. The Stooge's scene after the water stopped was very good, especially with the head mistress as comic relief. The rest of the film, well, I did manage to watch all of the DVD, sort of. There are a number of musical comedy films from this great period in Hollywood. One that comes to mind is "International House." That one, with W.C. Fields, is worth a view. Bela Lugosi seems a bit out of character in this movie but it was great seeing him in a slightly different roll. The music played over the Chinese Radio station during W.C. Fields bedroom scene is another great example of the 1930's art deco music style.

It should be pointed out to anyone reading the reviews here that we are not seeing the Baron Munchausen of German literature. For that you would have to see the German epic film that starred Hans Albers and was made by the Nazi controlled UFA studio during World War II. What we are seeing here is a version of Baron Munchausen adapted by vaudeville comedian Jack Pearl for which he had great success on radio during the Thirties. When Meet The Baron came out, Pearl was at the height of his radio success with the character.

Now the radio show with time out for commercials and a guest star consisted of Pearl telling these outrageous tales in this overblown German accent to straight man Ben Bard who is in the film as well. He was the Charlie to whom Pearl answered whenever 'Charlie' would question the Pearl's veracity, "Vas You Dere Charlie?" That line became the catchphrase associated with the show, as well known in its time as Jack Benny's 'well'.

In fact Pearl and Bard do one of their typical dialogs which comes about 20 minutes into the film and goes about 20 minutes. But Louis B. Mayer was smart enough to know that would not fill out a whole feature film, so MGM loaded the film with such people as Jimmy Durante, Ted Healy and The Three Stooges, and Edna May Oliver. They all get to do the shtick they were all known for.

The starts out bearing some resemblance to the Marx Brothers Animal Crackers and then segues into one of those college pictures so popular in the Thirties. It's a girl's college where Edna May Oliver is the dean. She plays a Margaret Dumont type character, but a lot shrewder and Oliver looks like she's enjoying herself.

Jack Pearl's type of humor is most out of date, but I kind of like it and with so much else to enjoy in Meet The Baron you don't have to be a fan of his to like the film.

This film is uneven: the first half is very promising, and it looks like "Meet The Baron" could develop into a classic of the absurdist-nonsense school of comedy, in the same vein as "Duck Soup" and "Horse Feathers". But the second half has too much violent, unsophisticated slapstick, and too many lame word puns ("take it with a grain of salt" - "you mean you can eat it?"). The two best sequences are the two musical numbers: the satirical "The Best is None Too Good", and especially the very pre-code "Clean as a Whistle", which must have been considered extremely hot by moviegoers back in 1933, and remains quite provocative and teasing today. Great closing gag, too! **1/2 out of 4.

An outrageous liar, pretending to be Baron Munchausen the famous explorer, arrives in new York City with his lowbrow companion. They proceed to defraud everyone in sight, before finally settling in at Cuddle College - where they plan to give the coeds the opportunity to MEET THE BARON.

In the early 1930's, Jack Pearl was a huge success on radio as Baron ('Vas you dere, Charley?') Munchausen, the champion fibber. MGM decided to groom him for film stardom, playing his famous character. Here, in the first of two films -HOLLYWOOD PARTY (1934) was the second - he is surrounded by first rate talent: the great Jimmy Durante as his sidekick; fluttery Zasu Pitts; the inimitable Edna May Oliver as the college dean; and Ted Healy & the Three Stooges.

The movie, while no classic, is enjoyable. Pearl, Durante and Misses Oliver & Pitts all have good moments. Fans of the Stooges will appreciate their contributions to the lunacy of the plot. Film mavens will want to look fast for Robert Greig & Lionel Belmore as explorers and Mary Gordon as the college washerwoman.

'Clean As A Whistle' has to be the strangest song ever included in an MGM movie - it takes place entirely in the college shower room...